This is my second time on the Ruby Princess. She is a beautiful ship. Alaska is breathtaking and should be experienced at least once by everyone. Even if you think you don't want to go there, you will love it. We loved every part of this cruise and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was a breeze in Seattle. Upon arrival a porter took our baggage. We had about a 5 minute wait in line to have our passports checked along with medical form. Then about 1 minute to get through security and less than 3 minutes to check in and get our cards and on to our cabin. Including the walk to the cabin the whole thing took about 15-20 minutes from Uber to cabin. Seattle's port is easy to get into.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Everything we ate was outstanding. International Cafe: coffee, hot chocolate, pastries. Crown Grill: steak was so tender; everything delicious - this is a favorite of mine. SHARE has a wonderful menu, service and food, but it wasn't a favorite - can't really put my finger on why. I will try again though if I get the opportunity. Buffet was good; I'm sure I ate my body weight in bacon!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We didn't participate in activities, but watched and there was a wide variety.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
There is so much to do. Shows were great, trivia games were hilarious, educational talks were wonderful. There is always something going on so you can't possibly be bored.
Children's Programs
We were not with children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone was very friendly and happy and helpful. These folks work really hard and it shows.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Everything was perfect. Always clean and tidy.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
D529 is mid aft about 50 feet from the Panoramic elevators on the starboard side. It is a perfect size and has a great balcony - it is not covered but I liked that. The bathroom has a lot of storage for toiletries and was always clean with fresh towels daily. Towels are big and fluffy - I wanted to shove them in my suitcase, but I didn't! Bed was super comfortable with 4 big pillows. 2 TVs were nice and we could watch both at the same time surprisingly without interference.
Ship tip
Explore the ship the first day so you aren't constantly lost. Keep your map with you (provided) and remember port is left, starboard is right, aft is rear. Try all the restaurants.
So easy to get into from the airport. Also, this port provides a free service call Port Valet. Just prior to disembarkation day you will receive a form on the ship. Send that and your airline itinerary back and your boarding passes and luggage tags will be sent to your cabin. Port Valet (free) takes your baggage from the ship to your final destination and you never have to see it until you get there. Did I mention this is free? When we got off the ship there was literally a sea of luggage in the port area that somehow you had to wade through to find yours. We didn't - we just walked by, called our Uber (who was delighted we had no luggage), got to the airport and on to San Francisco where, on carosell 2 was our luggage. Magic! And yes, it is free. Caveat: if you are required to pay luggage fees with your airline, that will be charged to your Cabin Account the night before you disembark.
We took the Best of Juneau excursion and it was fabulous. We saw lots of whales and bald eagles. It was a beautiful day and this was a perfect excursion. We got off the bus just before the ship to do a little shopping in town and it is such a lovely place.
Lovely little town. We went on the Yukon and train ride excursion which was worth the money. We saw so much, had a great meal, played with mush puppies. The train ride was brilliant and so scenic - not to be missed.
Rainy rainy Ketchikan. Our floatplane excursion was cancelled and by the time we found out, 95% of the other excursions were either gone or sold out. But we made the most of it and went to the Lumberjack show which was fun and entertaining. The ship is not in port for very long so get up early and out so you will have time for an excursion and to explore the town. Despite the rain it was lovely.
Luggage was taken the night before and Port Valet (see above) took it from ship to final destination. We were scheduled to get off the ship at 9:40 am (by choice) but you can depart earlier if you want. Everything was well organized and we went to our location to wait to depart, but we were able to leave sooner than expected. Off the ship we called Uber. Lots of traffic so it took him about 15 minutes and straight to the airport. Everything is well organized and there is a lot of staff around if you have questions.
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